


Mom and Dad are going to Heaven

by Lorem_Yipsum



Series: Adore Me [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, Fluff, Heaven, M/M, Magic, Supernatural Elements, angel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 18:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5712172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorem_Yipsum/pseuds/Lorem_Yipsum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeonghan is an angel who takes his date Seungcheol on a vacation to heaven. Misunderstandings turn things embarrassing.<br/>Features large amounts of (somewhat reciprocated) pining and hesitant tenderness. Heaven is probably not the way you imagine it.<br/>This is a spin-off/sequel to my fic Adore Me, but you can enjoy this story without reading the other one first. It's set in the same universe but barely references it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Act One

Seungcheol blacked out shortly after his back hit the fluffy ground.

He remembered the feeling of clouds well. By all means he should have sunken deep into the foggy floors, but by some magic he could move on them as if they were solid. It was impossible to put a finger on the exact sensation, which was disconcerting enough to have him keep his shoes on.

The angel next to him was barefoot, though. The delicate feet were the last thing he saw before his vision faded.

When he came to, he could guess that no ten seconds had past. Jeonghan was gently kicking him in the ribs, white wings slowly blowing cool air into the human boy’s face, which was still laying on the cloud-ground.

“You back among the living?”

Seungcheol mumbled “Why can’t I be pulled up _softly_?”

“Do you have any idea how long it takes to ascend into heaven? Come on, Cheollie.”

The angel helped the now conscious boy onto his sneaker’s clad feet and elaborated. “Walking up the Jacob’s ladder took so long it was basically not worth it. I’d never make vacation at home if I had to march all the way there. Even when they turned it into Jacob’s escalator it made little difference.”

“But…you all have wings.”

“Yeah. Still.”

By now Seungcheol was fully over the dizziness and repeatedly tore his jaw open to make his ears pop. Heaven – or what he called that – wasn’t technically “up” anymore then Yes and No had a geographical relation. Regardless, being pulled violently into this dimension neighboring his own tended to feel like going higher.

Making his second visit to heaven allowed him to watch a bit closer now that his level of overwhelmed-ness was merely extreme rather than super extreme, like the first time around.

The path ahead was a relatively tranquil patch of clouds amidst a never-calming tempest of the most gorgeous weather formations, fully enclosing the mile wide tunnel. Gem stones shimmered between the wobbling cloud patches beneath his feet, but they had a distinctly organic structure, like sea shells or plant life grown from diamonds and rubies.

Yet, the most wondrous sight was Jeonghan, although Seungcheol resisted the temptation of confessing this. He had already complemented the angel before their leave and any further remark would earn him sarcasm at best.

He sighed.

“Anything the matter, Cheollie?”

“Actually… never mind.”

Jeonghan had changed his mortal clothes for a gold lined robe of hued iridescence. His long hair framed his graceful face, but in the lively shine of heaven’s light, every moment seemed to be a perfect one. Like, when a person has a great hair day, but also seen from their best angle, and in the optimal lighting condition. That was Jeonghan every second in heaven.

The mortal boy’s all black ensemble was not much to show by comparison, but it was the best he could muster while still appearing casual.

It was hard for Seungcheol to focus on their conversation, as always. At least this time his little friend didn’t interfere. For some reason erections didn’t work in heaven. It was an odd place.

“One question, though. How long until we’re there? I remember last time and it didn’t take too long, but the gate isn’t even in sight.”

Jeonghan chuckled and grabbed the human boy’s hand. “All distances here are zero. I was just waiting until you felt ready.”

As Seungcheol looked back ahead of them, he realized that the gate was now immediately in front of the boys. It had teleported in place. Or they had teleported. Or the space had shifted. Or… He barely understood magic in the mundane realm, so there was no way for him to assess what happened here. He decide to give up and fully enjoy the feeling of Jeonghan’s hand in his.

Indeed the angel made no motion to let go even as they walked up to the registration desk. Seungcheol didn’t dare to breathe or walk out of step with his date in case he reminded the angel to let go. Once again he had to tell himself that, yes, they were on an official date – of sorts.

He had gotten a chance, after an eternity of pining. Not a literally eternity, he was only mortal. Now that he thought about it… It struck him as odd that he was a year older than his companion.

Right before the gilded gates was a podium, manned by an angel that was constantly on blazing fire and ten foot tall but otherwise a naked, androgynous humanoid. Two more beings guarded the entrance at either side, one pair of wings covering their legs, another one their torso, and a third pair hovered across their faces.

Jeonghan was the only angel who kept his other 98 eyes closed, even in heaven, for which Seungcheol was highly grateful. The rest of the heavenly hosts didn’t bother to accommodate the mundane boy and stared with all hundred orbs that were spread all over their body parts.

The burning one moved its lips but nothing reached Seungcheol’s ears since it would have fried his brain to hear the voice of a _Kyriotetes_.

“Yes, your lordship,” replied Jeonghan chipper and led his date by the hand into the gate. It didn’t open, it just stopped being there.

 

 

 

The City Of Gold.

Infinite in every direction. Eternal through time. Impossible in its architecture – in the way the slants met so softly and the way the landscape never stopped to rise without covering the infinitely distant horizon. White marble walls reached higher than earth’s skyscrapers and yet did not block the view. Rivers of precious metal. Streets too long to wander in a lifetime. Pillars and turrets reaching into the endless sky. Entire _mountain ranges of temples_.

Behind the city rose the sun. But every side was “behind the city”, letting the sun raise all around no matter the perspective of the onlooker. The sky was painted anew every day by the greatest artists who had ever lived.

Seungcheol took a step inside, coming to stand under a tree that grew pink leaves. The smell was _enchaining_. He would have plucked the leaves and stuffed them in his mouth had Jeonghan not been with him. He knew that he would have eaten himself to an agonizing death. Literally. He would not have stopped until his stomach burst. Heaven was no place for mundane, little boys who crushed on its inhabitants.

“So Cheollie, what to do first? On your last visit we didn’t get to do or see much. Or leave the room.”

“Sorry.”

“Oh, it’s fine. You didn’t choose the food poisoning or whatever you brought with you. Hey, do you see that alcove with the statue of a cherub?”

“Yeah?”

“You were sick there the first time. …And then again over there. And you retched at that pillar but you didn’t vom-”

“Can we – _please_ – never speak of that time again? I want to sink into the ground.”

“As you wish, Cheollie boy. Consider that bridge burned behind us. That reminds me, don’t walk onto any bridges. They’re infinite in both directions. As soon as you step on one, you’re infinitely far from the riversides.”

“Right…”

They took a turn left and entered the Garden Of Dance.

Infinite in every direction. Eternal through time. Impossible in… okay, you get the concept. With the garden being infinite within the city that was infinite the city’s skyline had been banished from sight. Replaced by Aztec-style pyramids, Shinto-style shrines, Indus-style temples, all heavily overgrown.

The sky was replaced by a dark, cloud covered one. The light was muskier here, playfully oversaturating the vast stretches of sand garden and densely vegetated meadows. Patches of flowers unknown to humans lent pastel colors to the scenery. The last warm breeze before a summer storm that never came was in the air.

And Jeonghan _still held his hand_. And he kept calling him “Cheollie”. This was a real date. His heart beat would probably never slow down again.

The angel rubbed the hand he held with his thumb. “You’re awfully quiet, Mister dorm prefect.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me I ever have to go back there. Can’t we stay in heaven for all time? Even though everything here is lethal to me.”

“I still have to finish my schooling. Getting the exchange permission was so much of a hassle, I’d hate to let it go to waste.”

“Well, I wasn’t entirely serious.”

“Neither was I.”

“See, I don’t _get_ your humor. This whole time I thought you would never in a million years go out with me. And you did say no at first. But…”

“I admit I enjoyed seeing you turn into a blabbering idiot every time I entered the room.”

“You _noticed_?”

Jeonghan laughed his monotonous laugh. “Everyone noticed. I guess Channie didn’t. You’re a bit of an authority figure to him. He doesn’t know any better. He’ll grow out of it.”

“Hey, I can be very authoritative.”

“Right, sure, totally.” The angel teased his date, pushing and pulling the obedient boy along, making him step into the sand off-path.

“Stop it, Jeonghan... Jeonghannie. Hannie – wait. _Honey_!”

“Did you just realize that you can do that with my name? You’re slow.”

“Hey!”

He shoved the other boy to the side, but “Honey” was built a lot more masculine than his face let one, shoving back with enough force to send him into the grass. A second later Jeonghan was on top of him.

Despite the rare, stray angels wandering the gardens that might have spared them an eye – or fifty – the attacker didn’t care for modesty, tickling Cheollie relentlessly.

He fought back, but with his now so called honey on top of his hips he didn’t actually desire to change their current positions, putting only as much effort into the counter attack as necessary to make it credible.

Seungcheol’s characteristic huffy chuckling and the humming laughter of his date dispersed amidst the oversized blue and pink flowers all around.

Just when the clothes started to slip and Cheollie’s black sweater uncovered his abs, the boys collapsed into the grass, catching their breath laying on their backs.

A silver narwhale flew past overhead, disturbing a flock of hovering octopuses and Seungcheol’s concentration, but still his gaze soon hung on the boy next to him again. At some point in their struggle Jeonghan had de-summoned his wings, looking mostly mundane once more. The gorgeous boy looked upward with a soft smile.

“Honey?”

“Hm? Yes, Cheollie?”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I… You know I took others to heaven occasionally. Even Joshua. But never… never a date. _Hey_ , don’t look like that, I’m trying to say something nice.”

“Uh, how did I look?”

“When I mentioned Josh. You… never mind. You’ll realize he was never to me what you are. Our friendship is deep and I know you probably resented him for being so close to me-“

“And you two always tormenting me with the idea I could have a chance with you just so you could get a quick laugh out of- Ugh, no you’re right. Let’s not talk about these things now.”

Jeonghan scooted a tiny bit closer, their faces now three inches apart, their voices a whisper. He took his hand again. The grass was supernaturally soft, swaying and rustling in a warm draught.

“No, Cheollie boy. It’s uncharacteristically courageous of you to say these things. I shouldn’t have toyed with you. It was, in my defense, hilarious at times. Especially that one time when Josh- oh, we’re still talking about him.”

Silence was not uncomfortable between them, an implicit agreement that their words were currently exhausted. They were slowly blinking at each other. Almost drifting off to sleep. Jeonghan put his unoccupied hand up, turning closer. He placed his hand gently on Cheollie’s chest, right above his heart. For a precious minute only the trees made noise.

The mortal boy sighed tenderly. “What do we talk about then? Any of the other boys gave you any trouble? What about-“

“Shh.”

“What…”

The angel squeezed his date’s hand. “Let’s not talk about your pack of feral children. Let’s talk about us. I don’t know exactly why it took me so long to let you get close to me. I’m not as wise as I seem, I’m just a boy as old as you and-“

“Shh.” Now it was Cheollie who shushed the other boy. “I need no excuses, no justifications. Do you want me here, right now?”

“Yes.”

“That’s all I need to hear.”

Their lips were one inch apart. Both boy’s eyelids fluttered, their breaths had sped up. They turned towards each other, raising their heads and chests off the ground. Their hips touching at the sides.

“Honey… I’ve dreamt of this since the day you came to our school. I never thought-“

A piece of paper would barely have fit between their lips.

Seungcheol moved to lean in, about to close the rest of the distance, breath held.

Immediately, an eldritch abomination from the first celesto-sphere ate his mind.


	2. Act Two

Seungcheol screamed.

He wasn’t in pain exactly. He was just profoundly, inhumanly, torturously _uncomfortable_.

When you’re too hot, you can take of your clothes. Too cold and you can put some on. But what if you’re both? Collar too tight? Sitting on a hard surface? A finger nail split? Been kneeling for too long? Stubbed the same toe a second time? Spine needs to be popped?

All our senses can have us itching for relief. Some situations are more easily remedies than others.

Within one second Seungcheol developed an excess of new senses. None of which were within the realm of the human experience. All of which reported _wrongness_. Like the weird numb feeling of a gum that was burned by hot food a while ago. Or running your fingers over the imprint sock-hems left after wearing them for the day. This, but times a billion.

Jeonghan threw himself over the whimpering boy and spread his freshly re-summoned wings. Even through the solid feather layers, Cheollie could see the ring. He couldn’t even tell if his eyes were burning with the same wrongness – he couldn’t spare the mind power to differentiate sensations.

A massive, burning torus spinning inside a bigger such thing was flying past them. Innumerable eyes looked in all directions, even directions that weren’t there.

It took a minute, feeling like a lifetime, but the object past by and the boy’s senses returned to a normal number and intensity.

“…What…”

“That was a Seraphim. They usually don’t leave the first sphere. Sorry, should have researched first.”

“Yeah…” Seungcheol said weakly. He didn’t want to ruin what was left of the moment. But he was anxious to get away. Everything around him had been uncomfortable to him seconds ago.

“Should we?” asked the angel, nodding in the direction they had come.

“Please.”

Jeonghan got up first and helped his date on shaky legs. They didn’t walk back all the way. After a left turn at a man-sized bonsai tree they were in an entirely new area. One that Cheollie hadn’t seen on his last visit.

The halls of glamor.

Infinite in every direction. Eternal through time. Impossible in their architecture. Albeit less ridiculous than the city.

Intertwined Escherian mazes of pillar-lined hallways that somehow each had a free right side to show the landscape between marble columns, bronze busts and flowing silk banners. That landscape was made of clouds and stellar nebulae, moving gently. The lights in the halls were domestic and warm, giving a sepia tone to the scene with no discernable light source.

Groups of angels in chariots of glistening wheels around the travelers cantered across the broad walkways that never were anything but perfectly horizontal despite leading to multiple levels.

“Where are we?”

“Oh Cheollie, we’ve been here before. Except last time we stepped right into our room and I spend the rest of the stay looking after you.”

“Our room was here? It’s…”

“You were too feverish to look out the window.”

“Yeah, but this here it just…”

Amazing? Incredible? Words failed him but he felt compelled to finish his sentence.

“What is it?” The angel looked at the mortal, grinning deviously.

Seungcheol guessed the reason for the expression. “Oh I know. Everyone you bring here tries to find a word to describe what they see. And I bet everyone feels super dumb when it’s too mundane.”

“Good boy. Everyone tries and stumbles, you’re right. I’m impressed you figured that out.”

“Just out of curiosity… What did Joshua call this place?”

“I believe the word he used was pretty.”

“Just pretty?”

“He felt so silly about his choice of vocabulary, he blushed.”

“Oh.”

Seungcheol was quite pleased that his – real or imagined – rival had failed to impress where he had succeeded.

“Not to step on your toes, Cheollie boy. Are we talking about the boys again, now?”

“I guess. You know they call us mom and dad, right? Especially the younger ones.”

“Of course. They think they’re sneaky, but nothing stays a secret with dorm walls that thin. Why, are you offended by that?”

“Oh no… although, I was sometimes. When I wished… I wished we could be more. A mom and a dad are supposed to be a couple. I mean, that’s done now. Or… We are, aren’t we?”

Jeonghan took his hand again. A moment of eye contact answered that question.

The angel gestured down the streets. “I thought I’d take the opportunity to show you around properly this time. The museum has an exhibition I wanted to see. Have you heard of the four elemental crystals of harmony?”

“This place has a museum?”

“Yeah. With gift shop and everything.”

 

 

 

The museum’s gift shop.

Infinite in every direction. Eternal through time. Impossible in its architecture. Yes, seriously.

“That was… a lot of stones.”

“Hm, I’m sorry Cheollie. I should have remembered that humans can’t see the all those colors.”

The boys strolled through gold and ivory shelves that carried life sized replicas of every exhibited artefact and memorabilia aplenty.

“No, it was fine. Those were still fairly impressive and… I got to spend the day with you, honey.”

“You’re so sappy. You’re oozing it. Have you turned into a tree?”

Seungcheol couldn’t help but laugh at the terrible joke that wasn’t even a proper pun.

One step past the official exit and the boys stood in a room that was vaguely familiar to him. He wondered if he would ever get used to the teleportation.

A fluffy bed, made of feathers – probably not angel feathers, but he wasn’t going to ask – and an overabundance of rose petals. Thin curtains lightly swayed in a nonexistent breeze. Thick carpet, softer than his bed at home, lined the floor. The décor was that of a gothic-baroque mansion, but brightly colored enough to be cozy. Stained glass windows gave the room a tiny cathedral atmosphere.

“It’s going to be dark soon. You must be tired.”

“It gets dark here?”

“Well, we have periods of inactivity. No point in keeping the light on. Even if the light is the sky.”

“Makes… sense? Actually, I’m not too tired, but my feet need a break.”

“That reminds me,” said Jeonghan as he sat down on the king sized canopy bed. ”I feel like getting a foot rub. Or maybe a shoulder rub. Take your pick and work your way up or down respectively.”

“With pleasure.”

“Good boy. I knew there was a reason to bring you along.”

“Hey! I’m your date, not your slave.”

“An excellent point. Again you remind me of something I almost forgot. You’re not dressed for the occasion.”

With a flick of Jeonghan’s finger, the non-magical boy was bathed in ethereal shine. His clothes dissolved into many layers of fine mist. Just as he feared the fabric would turn transparent, it solidified again. He didn’t know what the occasion was, that he was now supposedly dressed for, but Jeonghan seemed to enjoy the look.

In his first shock he thought he was wearing only sandals and a thong of spun gold. Upon closer inspection he found a tank top and baggy pants, but these items were of textiles so light and see-through, they might have been make of air. Which, he realized, was probably an option for heavenly-host-wear.

About to complain, his words got stuck in the saliva that threatened to drool from his mouth. Jeonghan had vanished his own shirt – likely in preparation for the shoulder massage.

Cheollie’s brain stuttered to a grinding halt. Shirtless Jeonghan.

“If you’re a good masseur, I’ll show you the baths later. I need to refill my shampoo for the dorm anyway. Soonyoung and Wonwoo used some of mine.”

“The… baths?”

“You will like them. Just don’t swim too far out. The krakens don’t like mortals much. Now… why are my pressure points not being massaged yet?”

 

 

 

Blissful hours later, the angle was sound asleep. Laying on his chest, the supernatural boy breathed deeply and rhythmically.

Seungcheol was sitting upright, looking down at his date. He wanted to reflect on the day, but seeing the body in front of him filled him with more joy than coherent thought allowed. His chest felt as if explosions kept going off inside it. He couldn’t get his mind clear.

Quietly he rose and left, glad that Jeonghan had given him terrestrial clothes again, consisting of sweatpants and a loose black shirt. He wasn’t going to walk far past the door, afraid he might not be able to find his way back in the ever shifting floorplan of heaven. And he was barefoot at this hour.

As he stepped out of the silver studded birch door his head cleared. Looking over the faintly shimmering emeralds that illuminated the nightly streets, he began to ponder his situation. A terrible sadness overcame him. How was a mortal, mundane boy supposed to date an angel? Everything about it seemed impossible. What did he even have to offer? Would Jeonghan not just leave him in a year when he stopped being an entertaining little toy? Or in ten when he had visibly aged while the angel stayed the same?

He wasn’t just sad, he was… uncomfortable. Wait, what? Oh no!

In the far distance he saw it. The terrible creature from the garden. Or maybe a different one from the same species. He had to get back to-

But he had wandered off! Lost in thoughts Cheollie had taken a few steps. He didn’t remember which door was his.

 _The museum_. It was right opposite of the place they stayed in for whatever fateful reason. After hurrying across the street Seungcheol tried the door to the unlit hall and found it open. He rushed inside and took a few steps farther in to get away from the abomination outside. The sensation of wrongness lessened, subdued either by distance or the intervening wall.

He collected his thoughts. This was exactly what gave him a headache. If he couldn’t even safely walk on Jeonghan’s home turf, let alone eat any of the food here, or talk to any of the people around…

Lost in his little world of misery, Seungcheol made his way along the path he and his beloved had taken earlier that day. In front of the harmonious crystals he tried to recall any of the things the audio guide had told him, but he came up blank. They were important and had a long history. He had hoped to find solace in the presence of the fist sized stones. But truthfully, he had only registered their presence because Jeonghan liked them so much.

The heart, the rainbow, the star and the butterfly glowed mockingly as Seungcheol saw his relationship slowly leave his grasp. He had fantasized about dating the angel for so long, but had he ever considered what that would entail?

The butterfly sparkled at him.

He felt like the gem stone was laughing at his misery. Cheollie raised his finger to poke the crystal. An electric – or magical – discharge took him by surprise. He pulled his shocked finger back, stumbling a step away from the butterfly. _And right into the heart_.

The pink crystal fell to the ground with a Pling that was deafening in the complete silence of the closed museum.

It shattered into a dozen pieces.

Seungcheol knew he was a dead man walking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author’s note. Infinite in every direction…  
> What will our brave and sad hero do to save his butt? Find out next time.  
> I hope this wasn’t too angsty. I just want my babies to be happy, but this situation would certainly be tricky. Also, brownie points for those who spot the Adore Me reference.


	3. Act Three

Through the adrenaline and paralyzing panic, a plan formulated in his head.

It was a mad one, naturally, but he was so beyond screwed, he felt he could afford to screw up harder, because if the sky police found out what he had done, he was going to angel prison anyway. Or whatever they had up here to put personae non grata in.

With shaky knees but firm steps he rushed into the gift shop. They had replicas of everything in the museum, including the crystals. Snatching one off the shelves, he wondered if he had lost his mind completely, but his heartbeat was going too fast for the rest of him to slow down and consider things properly.

Back at the pedestals, he put the fake plastic heart into the spot light and turned it to the right position. There was no way anyone would fall for this. To all his knowledge, the angels might very well be able to feel some sort of metaphysical energy signature and instantly see that their precious artefact had been replaced by a mortal they would have to torture to death for his insolence. Also, it was _made of cheap plastic_ , for heaven’s sake.

The panic didn’t stop rising in his trembling, little body. Sweat broke out all over his skin.

But he had made his bed, so he was going to lay in it, no matter what.

Now he only had to get rid of the shards of the real gem stone. He crawled around the place, collecting all dozen of them and turned back and forth, looking for a way to hide them. But in all of heaven there was not a single waste basket from all he remembered. No potted plants or shower drains or loose floor boards. A place sans imperfections left him with no hiding places.

He had to leave. A tingling in his head told him that the alarm was about to go off any second. Against all logic, of course. If there had been an alarm it would have gone off the very second he- No, there could be a silent alarm! He really had to leave.

With no other options, he shoved the shards in his sweat pant’s back pocket and walked to the door. Glancing out, he found the streets abandoned. Still shaking, the boy dared to take a step outside and pull the door shut behind him. A few more steps and he was across the gold and ivory path.

But which door led back into his room? If he knocked on the wrong one and somebody opened, they could confirm that he was out and about at the time of the incident. His mind reeled. Alibies and suspicions. A wave of guilt struck him as he realized that he was already thinking like the scummy crime lord he clearly was.

The shards in his back pocket shifted. Was even the crystal trying to guilt trip him?

“Cheollie?”

“Ah!”

Jeonghan chuckled. “Sorry, I woke up and you weren’t there. I had to look for you, just in case you went down the road. The part over there is an illusion and if you don’t have wings you’d fall into a lava pit. Actually, I don’t even know why we have that one. Maybe it’s like potholes in heaven.”

“Uh.”

Like a baby duckling following its mother the tense boy walked behind his date, to get back into their room. Jeonghan flicked his finger and Seungcheol’s night clothes were replaced by his regular day one. The color scheme didn’t change but it was odd to be dressed in his original clothes again.

He felt the crystal shards still in his back pocket, shifting again. “Am I supposed to go to bed like that?”

“Nope, I think forcing you to pick big spoon or little spoon is going to melt that tiny brain of yours so I figured I’ll drag you out to a nightly adventure.”

“Um, if you don’t mind, I’ve had enough adventures for the day.”

The elemental stone of being-in-pieces-ness shifted again. Almost aggressively. Was it trying to get him busted? Seungcheol was tempted to sit down just to shut it up.

Jeonghan ignored his plea and pulled him back outside by the wrist. “This is something I was planning to do for a while but I needed you to be here for it to work.”

That got Cheollie’s interest, but he still needed to get rid of the evidence. Walking around with his date wasn’t going to raise his chances. And now it looked like the angel was dragging him into… the museum?

“Huh? H-Honey? What are we doing in here?”

“Shush! Angels trigger the alarm, but mortals come here so rarely and only in company that I bet they didn’t make it fool proof. Um, I mean, mortal proof.”

“Trigger… alarm?”

Jeonghan pulled the boy close to him. Seungcheol had been sweating since the accident. The sweat was finally catching up to him, making his shirt stick to his chest. With his sweetheart’s face so close to his, he felt his mouth dry up.

Taking the boy’s cheeks into his cupped hands, Jeonghan whispered “You’d do anything for me, right? Cheollie, my love.”

“Y-es?” he croaked.

Jeonghan pointed behind him. “Steal this for me.”

“Hng…urg…I’m n-“

Even before turning around fully, he knew what the object of desire would be. The fake heart sparkled in the spotlight, daring him to say or do anything at all.

He whispered “No, please…”

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s just a stone. I really, really want it. It’s perfect for my outfit. No one will come looking for it in the mortal realm, I promise.”

“Oh god…”

“This has nothing to do with daddy. Come on, Cheollie. Dare to live. I’ll take you someplace nice.”

Resigning to his fate, Seungcheol walked up to the pedestal, the shards near his butt now shifting with obvious anger. He surmised they were trying to poke him in the behind.

A slow, deliberate gesture and the heart shaped replica was in his grasp.

Jeonghan laid a hand on his shoulder. “Yay, no alarm. Now, let’s get out of here.”

Deep breaths gave Cheollie an illusion of calming down. The angel turned them both around and they had teleported when Seungcheol opened his eyes again.

 

 

 

The fields of color.

Infinite in most directions (some still under construction). Eternal through time (since 2005). Impossible in its architecture (making further construction heavy on delays).

Rainbows, spanning the length of the sky. Rainbows falling like waterfalls out of mother-of-pearl mountains. Rainbows, constantly exploding into more rainbows.

Clouds of pink and magenta and violet and baby blue. The fields were similar to the area they had used to get to the gates of heaven, but where that had been tempestuous, the fields were calm and cozy.

“Hide the thing, silly.” Jeonghan pulled Cheollie along by the collar, while the boy shoved the heart he had stolen from the museum – well, the gift shop technically – into his other back pocket.

Somehow it was still – or again – bright day in the fields of color. Or was it? There were clouds all around, so no sun was visible. The scattering glow could have come from anything.

The angel looked breathtaking in the light. Perhaps literally breathtaking because Cheollie was truly running out of breath from the journey. The two barefooted boys found a corner were any passerby would overlook them and Jeonghan swung his date forcefully into the cloud alcove.

“All right, show me the goods.”

Seungcheol carefully pulled the heart from the correct pocket and held it up. Jeonghan grabbed it casually, like he had been offered a much simpler present. He weight it in his hand.

“Feels lot lighter than I thought it would. Not even crystalline. Kind of… plastic-y.”

Seungcheol was sweating again but shivered regardless as guilt shot up and down his spine. The shards still in his pants were moving around like they were about to jump out any moment.

“Hm,” continued the angel as he turned the object around. “Why does this have a sticker with a barcode? And why does it say Made In China? …This is a gift shop item. _Cheollie_?”

Taking a deep breath the boy looked his date right in the eyes. “I was at the museum during the night already. Before you brought me there to steal the gem. And…”

He put one hand into his back pocket and was about to pull the broken original crystal out. But what was that? It felt like… Could it have?

Under Jeonghan’s widening eyes, the boy produced the wholesome, fully healed, crack-less heart stone. That’s what the shards had been doing. They had shifted back together.

“I-“

“You got it for me?”

“…Yes?”

“How did you know?”

“…Boyfriends intuition?”

“Boyfriend indeed.”

Seungcheol had exactly one second to enjoy the bright, joyful expression on his now officially declared boyfriend’s face, and the fact that he had an officially declared boyfriend. After that the angel picked him up and spun him around as if he weighed nothing until Cheollie felt like the food poisoning from last time was about to perform a reprise.

Once he had firm ground under his feet again – or what passed as firm when he was walking on actual clouds – he handed the gem stone over properly.

He wondered if offering an engagement ring would feel even better, because the happiness in his chest made it difficult enough to breathe as it was.

Jeonghan leaned in. No further hesitation. No more interruptions. All questions answered.

They kissed.

Lip on lip, breaths intermingling. A tender smile through the contact, not breaking away. Hand on neck, on cheek, on hip. Skin softly caressed.

Rainbows flying by overhead, the pinkest clouds were their bed.

And nothing went wrong.

 

 

 

When they had to return, Jeonghan landed them in tight embrace in front of the school. Seungcheol noticed that the dwelling had somehow grown _an entirely new building_ in the north-east corner overnight. Normally, he would have stormed into the magic school and demanded an explanation for the occurrence which was, even for this place, a bit much to happen in twenty four hours absence.

But the steam he would usually work up over this, didn’t come.

With his boyfriend’s hand in his, nothing could faze him. And the heart shaped crystal holding Jeonghan’s hair in place did fit the angel’s outfit really well, indeed.

All he could muster was a soft sigh. “I wish we could have stayed up there longer. I’m surprised they didn’t burn the place down. Again. I wonder who I have to reprimand this time.”

“I’m honestly glad to be back. The kids need their mom and dad. Shall we, boyfriend?”

 

THE END

PS: Next in the spin-off series set in this universe is Jihoon/Soonyoung in "Lock and Key".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incredible. Seungcheol is happy. I didn’t know I had it in me to write him this way.  
> I found out so many more things about angels than I managed to work into the story. It’s probably better this way, but Tetramorph is a really cool word and we should all use it more.  
> Please let me know what you liked best. Or even, what not so much. Did everything make sense?

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, what happened? Find out next time. It wouldn’t be my writing if my beloved Cheollie wasn’t getting at least a little bit tortured. Or in this case, a lot. *evil laughter*


End file.
